Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 5

न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् | कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ||

na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ

Indeed, no one can remain even for a moment without performing action. Everyone is helplessly driven to act by the qualities born of material nature.

Krishna states a fundamental truth: true inaction is impossible. 'Na kaścit kṣaṇam api' (not anyone, even for a moment) remains without acting because 'prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ' (nature's modes) drive everyone 'avaśaḥ' (helplessly). The three gunas—sattva, rajas, tamas—constantly operate. Even sitting still, your heart beats, mind thinks. Someone dominated by tamas may lie idle, but inertia itself is an action pattern. Since action is unavoidable, the question shifts from whether to act to how: consciously or mechanically, with awareness or on autopilot, detached or attached.